***UPDATE: Ariel Luddington and Alex Pequignot were found Tuesday night, August 12, in Kelso, Washington.

This press release was originally issued by the Bremerton Police Department.Media inquiries should be directed to Bremerton Sergeant Kevin Crane at 360-473-5480.

The Bremerton Police Department has reached out and asked for assistance from the FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in their search for missing 16-year-old Ariel Luddington. Ariel Luddington left her residence late Thursday night or early Friday morning, and she is with her 17-year-old boyfriend, who has also been reported as a runaway.

Detectives have confirmed Ariel and Alex Pequignot have left the area and are going south, likely to be in Oregon at this time. Ariel appears to have cut her hair, removed her eye glasses and removed the bandage around the vein pick/port in her right arm.

Ariel is described as a 16-year-old white female, approximately 4’09” in height, 100 lbs in weight, light brown hair, blue eyes. Ariel is in need of immediate medical attention. Ariel has stitches on her right temple and a vein pick/port in her right bicep. Ariel may appear to slur her speech and stagger when she walks. Ariel’s left foot is turned inward as she walks.

Ariel is with her boyfriend of one year, Alex Pequignot. A surveillance photo confirmed Ariel and Alex were together in Southern Washington on Sunday. Both Ariel and Alex have been entered into a national law enforcement data base.

If anyone has information on their whereabouts, we are asking them to please contact 911 or the Bremerton Police Department at (360) 473-5228 or (360) 473-5220.